The cost of food and non-alcoholic drinks rose by 2.8% in the third quarter of 2025 despite inflation falling by 2.3%, Department of Statistics figures revealed.
This was due to a 4.8% increase in bread and cereal prices, a 4.6% rise in fruit costs, and an 11.3% hike in mineral water, soft drinks, fruit and vegetable juices.
The Anguilla Consumer Price Index shows the rate at which the price of a basket of consumption goods and services changes over a period of time for the island’s households.
Eight of the 12 categories contributed to the overall inflation decline from July to September, three stayed the same, and only food and non-alcoholic drinks showed an increase.
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In December 2024, the Goods and Services Tax (Amendment) Act, 2024, which stated that the tax would no longer apply to certain grocery items, was passed in Anguilla House of Assembly.
The exemption covered most food and drinks, including meat, vegetables, fruit, rice and water, but excluded alcoholic beverages and confectionary.
In July, this year, the Anguilla House of Assembly passed legislation which kept essential non-confectionary food items exempt from a new goods tax.
Price decreases
Of the eight categories that saw price drops, the ‘alcohol beverage and tobacco’ category registered the largest percentage decrease, with a 9.6% reduction compared to the previous quarter.
The ‘transport’ category was the second largest decrease, dropping by 8.8% over the last quarter due to the average prices in the subcategory of ‘passenger transport by air’.
The ‘clothing and footwear’ category recorded a reduction of 8.7% due mainly to a 10.4% decrease in the average price of the ‘clothing’ sub-category.
The ‘recreation and culture’ category saw a 7.2% decrease over the last quarter, and ‘furnishing, household equipment and routine household maintenance’ dipped by 3.1%.
Recording small drops were ‘miscellaneous goods and services’, ‘housing, water, electricity, gas and other fuels’, and ‘restaurants and hotels’, at -2.1%, -0.5% and -0.2%, respectively.
The three categories that showed no movement were ‘communication’, ‘health’ and ‘education’.
Anguilla Focus has reached out to minister Kyle Hodge and opposition leader Ellis Webster for comments on the latest statistics.
